the simple life of a Christian wife

Stirred

2010-07-19T12:00:00.006-04:00

This weekend at Summit we began a new series entitled "Stirred", journeying through the (fabulous) book of Ezra. If you would like to listen to Orlando's message, click here, or for Jamin, here...

I'm so excited to see how God will stir in His people at Summit during this series, I know He's stirring in me a greater desire to be led by His Spirit, and I know He's already doing that in some of my friends too!

Join us, would you?

oh yea, good to be back blogging! :)

Can I be a runner!?

2010-07-19T11:20:00.007-04:00

A few MONTHS ago I blogged about wanting to lose weight. I never really did it, and really, I gained even more. LAAAAAAME.

Last week I decided I was going to become a runner. Yep, just decided. I "ran" using my Wii fit for 10 minutes one day, and then decided to run the (small, but still!!) bridge by my house (for a total of about 1.2 miles) the next day...BIG DIFFERENCE!

Then, I downloaded a (free, holla!) app on my phone to track my "running stats" -- time, distance, pace, calories burned, route, etc... I ran 16 minutes straight my first day outside, and 17 minutes the next day which was tracked as 1.46 miles.

In the next 3o days I'd like to get up to running 30 minutes straight and signing up for my first 5K. I CAN do it. :) Anyone want in?

Bff

2010-04-27T15:25:00.000-04:00

This past weekend (4.25.10), my beloved bff married the man God made for her. It was such a joy to watch it be her turn! Katie has been my bff for 6 years and over those years we've shared countless laughs, incredible experiences, lengthy discussions and made millions of memories. I cherish our friendship so highly and it's a huge way God works in my life. I'm constantly learning from her example as a godly woman and I'm so grateful she is now a wife because I know I will glean much wisdom from her walking next to me in that way! The way God worked in her life to bring her Luis was a blessing to witness and definite proof of His provision and timing.

Katie, I love you immensely and wish the very best for you and my bff-in-law!

I've put together a mini slide show of us over the years. Prepare to laugh...and if you're me, cry.

college days:

(yes, that's us with Shane & Shane. We're big time.)

when we were baptized:
at my wedding festivities:
working together:

her wedding festivities:
i love you bff!

Dress Debacle-the full story

2010-03-31T15:56:00.008-04:00

I didn't tell the full story on the "yo-yo" post...I ordered my GORGEOUS (did I ever mention how pretty it is??) Bridesmaids dress for Katie's wedding in January. At the time I was probably around the same weight as I was last week and I was told to order a 10 or 12--which to me sounded ginormous. I know it's not...but I like to think of myself as a 6 at all times.

I was not a 6 then at all though, so the seamstress was alarmed when I told her I would not order the 10 or 12, whatever it was, but instead I'd take a 6. She actually tried to talk me out of it and I insisted "all my bridesmaid dresses have been a 6, my wedding dress was a 6, I will lose this weight and be a 6...write down a 6"

...it was comical then, it's hysterical now.

I signed a waiver and ordered the 6, then casually let weeks pass thinking "10 weeks? I can lose a ton in 10 weeks... I don't have to start yet!" then..."8 weeks? I can lose a ton in 8 weeks... I don't have to start yet!" Then all-of-a-sudden it was 5 weeks and the dress was in and I hadn't lost a pound--maybe even gained a few!

Anyway, I thought you should know the full story...almost everyone does.

But, here's an update on where the dress and I stand...I dropped it off at Donata's Alterations in Naples on Wednesday and they assured me they could let it out and that I'd be fine. I go back right after I return from NYC to try it on again. Hoping it fits then, and I can continue to tone/lose up to the wedding without stress...we'll see!

The girls were sweet there, they said if I had ordered the 8 it would be too big. Not putting money on that, but, no way to prove or deny it! :)

To date - down 3.2lbs...think I need to lose 7 more!

girls weekend +

2010-03-28T21:16:00.008-04:00

My bff, Katie, had a shower in her home town this weekend so she, Jen and I made it a getaway! We had SUCH A BLAST driving, sunning, eating, chatting, photoshooting and celebrating her upcoming wedding in just 4 weeks!

We drove to her parent's beach house and stayed the night there...we laid in the sun (and sand storm!?), then ate with her parents and afterward headed to walmart to buy eye lashes and ended up with a full cart of goodness! (flash back to college, for sure!)

The next morn we got bagels from the local bagel nazi, did hair & makeup and then headed to the shower...it was such a great girl-time, I'm wanting to schedule the next trip! (My cute bff said "but I'll be married"...I remember when I first got married and often had to say "I have a husband, I cant hang out all the time anymore!" and she would tease me...love entering this new stage of life with her!)

Photo highlights!
Cant wait for the wedding weekend!!

full photo album here http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2106856&id=60601156&l=c3fae30c24

yo-yo...

2010-03-24T16:32:00.006-04:00

Well this is embarrassing...

Back when I first started blogging I was on a quest to lose weight for a friend's wedding...it was just under a year ago and I wanted to lose 15 pounds...I got serious, did a new fitness & diet plan and did it! Yay! Go me!

Then, I went on a vacation...gained some...came home and lost some again...went on another vacation...and then it was "the holidays" and now, somehow, it's March and I'm back where I started.

CAN ANYONE RELATE?

I need to lose 15 pounds (10 at least) by April 25th for my best friend's wedding. It's not like "I want to lose some weight" it's like "the dress wont close unless I do"...

My bff is sweet though...she said "well, since you're the maid of honor, worst case scenario is we get you a different dress! No one will even know!"...truth is, you'll all know! If I wear a different dress, you'll know I've FAILED! (Here's us at her shower a few weeks ago...)

So - I have 4.5 weeks (which is perfectly intersected with a week long trip to New York City! That will be fun to have to say "no" to tempting big city goodies! We'll see how that goes...) Guess while I'm in the Big Apple, I should stick to just apples! :)

The good news is, I can take comfort in knowing that I'm not alone...I'm in the same boat as Kirstie Alley...and she's doing it on national television. I'm doing it on a blog that like 10 people read.

I CAN DO IT! :)

Proud Wife...

2010-02-12T16:43:00.010-05:00

I had to share the incredible job my husband recently did!

Paul has a passion for cars. I cant actually express it fully in that sentence, its that innate. He loves to look at them, learn about them, test drive them, detail them, paint them, and now - modify them.

He has always wanted to do more work on exotic cars and recently he got the chance. One of his clients purchased a 2009 Audi R8 and wanted to have some modifications done. Paul took the chance to do all the work (his first time doing more than painting wheels - the biggest thing he had done to date as far as modification).

He painted the side panels, removed both the front and back bumpers and reinstalled them (that was interestingly stressful to watch/help with!) painted all 4 wheels, installed the body kit pieces and did countless other things...

The R8 was featured in the recent "Ferrari's on 5th" Annual Car Show in Naples...it was the only Audi there, and it got lots of attention. I loved watching Paul interact with people asking about all the work he did. I was beaming with pride as people walked by commenting "wow, that looks great" or "this is the coolest car here, I cant believe its an Audi" and "Can I have your card?" I thoroughly enjoyed seeing little kids "ooh" and "aah" and ask their parents to snap pictures of it on their cell phones! I was a proud proud wife :)

after 130+ hours, this is how it turned out.

A M A Z I N G !

He painted and installed the side panels

He installed the carbon fiber piece on the bottom of this bumper, replaced the tail pipes and hand painted the "R8" symbol

He painted and installed the front spoiler (which required removal and reinstall of the front bumper)

He looked cute. :)

He hand painted this "R8" symbol

He painted all 4 wheels, keeping the "Audi" symbol silver

I loved watching him talk to potential clients!

He replaced several interior accent pieces with carbon fiber pieces

Great job babe. You blow me away! I'm your number one fan!

Haiti Video- must see!

2010-02-02T12:52:00.005-05:00

This is a great video we saw at church this weekend about Haiti, check it out!

Haiti Relief

2010-01-25T11:44:00.008-05:00

Wow, time as flown by since my last post and so much has happened...

The tragedy in Haiti is so heartbreaking, and I'm convinced I could never fully understand how bad it truly is.

I'm so grateful to be a part of a church that has been given the opportunity to respond in both word (prayer) and deed (through a strategic partnership with Mission of Hope Haiti).

Summit was able to coordinate a group of doctors & medical professionals as well as 2 of our Leadership Team Pastors to go to Haiti on Friday after the quake (with several other trips scheduled in the coming weeks & months)...they saw first-hand some gut wrenching, life changing things...

There were two times that Todd was able to check-in via satellite phone with one of our local Christian radio stations -- here are the two reports he gave from the field:
*The first report - January 18

*The second report - January 21

NBC Nightly News did a segment called "Making a Difference" on Brad Johnson, the director of Mission Of Hope, the organization we're partnered with in Haiti...it was a great piece that showed how MOH is helping and has the infrastructure to make a real lasting difference long after we've "moved on" here in the USA. See the segment here. Also, read the blog on MOH's site to get a glimpse of what it's really like up close in the midst of this tragedy.

If you'd like to donate to MOH, you can do that on their site, or by giving through Summit Church and we will direct your designated funds to them.

But don't move on yet, keep praying!

Also, get involved in fundraisers that are happening every where! We're doing a food-packing event with Kids Against Hunger on Saturday, February 6th down at the YMCA in Naples where all the food packed will be sent to Haiti to be distributed. The suggested donation is your time, and $65 per adult to cover the food and shipping costs. This is a great way that a family can serve together and make a difference. There are two shifts, one from 8-10AM and the other, 10:30AM-12:30PM. To sign up, email Jay Richardson at jay@summitlife.com (He was one of our Pastors who was in Haiti for a week).

I'm sure there are several other ways to help...find one! Let's BE THE CHURCH!

Couponing Secrets

2010-01-08T14:12:00.009-05:00

With a new year upon us, Paul and I had a chat about our 2010 budget... we hope to save some money on some of our regular expenses so I vowed to "find a way"...

A coworker mentioned he and his wife determined to cut their "grocery bill" in half this year and that they were expecting to do it with coupons. I got thinking!

The next day, a radio-DJ friend of mine (Mr. Steve Shore, WayFM) uploaded a facebook status about his wife being a "Coupon Ninja" so I asked him what her tricks were...at the same time, I opened an email from Barnes & Noble with a COUPON for:So, I got it, (40% off, just $9.00) and spent a whole night reading and searching the Internet for coupons...I started to get a nice stock pile going!
Then, I dug out an old receipt file and put it to good use...Some of the pointers from CouponMom I found to be most helpful are:

*search for free Internet coupons and print & clip them, even if you think you wont use them right away...here are a few to get you started

Coupons.com
Couponmom.com
RedPlum
SmartSource
iheartpublix

*Shop based on whats on sale! Know this by grabbing your store(s) weekly ad when you walk in (or review it online before you shop).

*BUY THE SUNDAY PAPER! I buy 2 papers on Sunday because that's when the coupon circulars come out...I search thru them first, to make sure they have BOTH the Red Plum and Smart Source inserts...

*Know your store(s) coupon policies-- some coupons can be DOUBLED or TRIPLED if your store allows it...also, some stores accept competitors coupons (my Publix does!)

*Buy in bulk when items you frequently use are on sale (especially if you can stock your freezer or pantry with them)...Today I bought 6 servings (at least 3 meals depending on the menu) of fresh chicken and froze 4 of them.

*Combine sales & coupons for super savings -- most stores will allow you to use 1 manufacturers coupon and 1 store coupon on an item, so combine that with a sale (maybe say, a BOGO) and you could get items for free, or atleast up to 50 or 70% off!

This book/method has 3 levels:

Busy Shopper - someone who has no time to research or plan ahead (plan to save about 30%)
Rookie Shopper - someone who's willing to do 30-60 minutes of research a week before shopping (plan to save 50-60%)
Varsity Shopper - the person who applies all the methods and researches or plans over an hour each week to snag the best deals (plan to save 60-70%)

I hope to hover somewhere between Busy and Rookie shopper! I'm a little busy for all that Varsity business! If I can save 30-50%, that's HUGE! :)

That's what I have for now...Good luck!

Resolution

2010-01-02T16:16:00.003-05:00

As I sat down for some "coffee & bible" on January 1st, I took some time reflect on what my goals are for 2010... none of them are possible apart from Christ!

- love & obey Jesus more faithfully...
- deepen my relationship with my sweet husband...
- see growth in the people & influence of Summit
- get quality time with my mom & sisters

As I reviewed what I had written and prayed, I was reminded of my life mission statement-- it pretty much sums it up!

I exist to pursue an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ that transforms my life, my marriage and my relationships, influencing other believers to live on mission with Him daily...

Here's to 2010, work in and through me Jesus!

2010

2010-01-02T15:56:00.007-05:00

So long 2009, hello 2010!

We said good bye to 2009 with a special double-date with the Dahm's...Megan suggested we go to Melting Pot as a surprise to the boys and it was yummy! We saw the sunset first, then headed for a scrumptious meal!
Then, on New Year's Eve we spent the day together (Paul worked, I watched TV at his client's house, lol) and then headed to Cory & Megan's to ring in the New Year...
We actually got a lot of good quality family time this week...Cowboy & I came down to visit/hang out with Paul again today to go for a walk around Mercato...Cowboy had a few good photo ops! :)
Here's to the New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

We hope this Christmas blog post finds you in good spirits as we prepare to celebrate the greatest gift ever given! We pray that this Christmas will be a time of joyful fellowship with family and friends, filled with memories that will last a lifetime. We are so grateful to God for all He has blessed us with this year and we're thankful to share with you all He has done in our lives in 2009...

2008 was a great year for Paul's business, yet with the further downturn of the economy we found 2009 to be a little more rocky. However, God is faithful and has continued to provide for us in every way, even when we least expected it or began to doubt. I'm proud to say that Paul has been very diligent to work hard to provide a wide array of services for his long-standing clients, and continues to provide them with "elite service"! He keeps himself busy doing specialized detailing and maintenance for classic and exotic cars as well as “perfectionist” estate management for several homes in the Naples area.

This year marked 4.5 years of me working at Summit Church and I am so very thankful to God for continuing to give me the privilege to work with such great people, for such a great church body! It's truly a joy, a challenge and a blessing. We now have a total of 6 weekly services between 2 campuses so there's never a dull moment!

There were some pretty great things that happened in our lives and in our families lives in 09 that we want to highlight!

*Since our last Christmas letter was mailed, we got our little pup, Cowboy! He sure adds some entertainment and spunk to our lives!

*On June 25th, we celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary! We spent a weekend at the Ritz in Naples with friends of ours who have the same anniversary, and it was their 26th!

*In July, we got the opportunity to turn a work-trip of Paul's into a "road-trip/vacation" ... we spent a week traveling to New Jersey and Pennsylvania seeing some family & friends along the way!

*In August, my big sister Sarah married the love of her life, Frank Volturo, in Virgin Gorda. Sadly, Paul wasn't able to attend last minute but it sure was an unforgettable trip for me. It was great quality family time for me, unlike anything we'd ever had before! My sister was gorgeous might I add!

*On August 31st, very dear friends of ours (whose wedding we were in last year) had their first little child, Mr. Ayden Ray Dahm...he's our little "nephew" and we're smitten with him!

*In September, my cousin Tiffany got married in Jacksonville, so that was another great time for family bonding...she was also a beautiful bride!

*On Black Friday (November 27th) I got into a head-on collision, totaling my car but walked away unharmed (thankfully). That caused a couple hectic weeks of insurance dealings and car shopping but we got a new car on December 11th, in time to go to Disney for a couple days to enjoy the Christmas festivities there.

That pretty much wraps up 2009 for the Graham family!

All in all, we had a great year, and we look forward expectantly to what God has for us next year. We continue to learn that He is the most important part of our lives and we want to devote ourselves to an even greater pursuit of Him in 2010! We pray that He blesses you with His presence and peace in the coming year!

We did a "family photo shoot" for Christmas, and here are some of our favorites! Enjoy! Feel free to check back on the blog often for updates on our family!

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!

Christmas Cheer $

2009-12-23T16:38:00.006-05:00

You've got to click here and watch this cute
little gem from the Graham's...
Merry Christmas!

(brief) Disney trip

2009-12-19T17:45:00.005-05:00

We booked a Disney trip a few months ago and it came after a very stressful time (car crash, lame) so we ended up leaving a day late and coming back early (also lame). We made the most of it though! Here are some of my favorite pictures from our time!

The Car Saga

2009-12-13T13:39:00.007-05:00

On Black Friday, I got in a pretty bad car crash...thankfully, I walked away unharmed and as far as I know, so did the woman who hit me...

Unfortunately (because we loved that car) the Saturn was totalled...

The crazy thing about it all was that we had really been trying to figure out a way to get rid of Paul's Evo (a third car, one he got last year when business was a little "better"). So actually this was sort of a blessing in disguise because we were able to trade it in on a new car for me and get back down to just 2 car payments!

So long Evo,
Hello, Edge!
We had to rent a car for a while so we got a Ford Edge to rent and we both really liked it...so we got one! I love it because it has some really cool options, including Microsoft SYNC...you can TALK TO IT! I can tell it what radio station to play, tell it to call anyone (it syncs with your cell phone for hands free talking) and speak into the navigation where I want to go...it's pretty sweet!

That's my story!

thankful +

2009-11-26T12:18:00.003-05:00

This Thanksgiving I'm especially thankful for:

My Salvation through the love & sacrifice of God through His Son Jesus Christ!
My sweet Hubby

My amazing friends

My beloved bff
My awesome family
My adorable puppy
My fabulous job

...and so many more things I could list forever!

Have a great Thanksgiving...take a few minutes to think about what you're really thankful for! We are all so blessed! Thank you God!

best dishes $

2009-11-23T20:34:00.006-05:00

I haven't done a food post in a while, but I've got some favorites I wanted to show you!

First, my lovely Tnua's Famous Pumpkin Roll:

prepping

rolled

finished! YUM!

I have been doing a lot of stir frying lately...this one's a no-meat, but still super tasty!

I made a special dinner the other night for hubby: bacon wrapped filet, white wine & cheddar risotto and green beans...
Last but not least, I make a really good and healthy lasagna, dont doubt it till you try it! It's turkey, spinach & low fat cheeses...

Orders any one? :)

Disney Bound! $

2009-11-13T15:40:00.006-05:00

I'm soo excited! We're going to be going to Disney next month for all the glorious Disney Christmas festivities! It's so beautiful for Christmas and we really need a "getaway"...can't wait! We got a great deal so we're going all-out...meal plan and staying on-property! YES!

Now I get to spend the next month planning the trip...what we'll do each day (park hopper means lots of ground covered!) and where we'll eat our 3 course meals!

Let the countdown begin...32 days till Disney!

dress up! #

2009-11-02T12:28:00.008-05:00

This weekend at Summit we had a "Trunk or Treat" since Halloween fell on a Saturday...it was a great opportunity to get the families together for costumes & candy in a fun environment. I happily participated with some revved-up makeup courtesy of Heather Longshore!

birthday parties! $

2009-10-31T11:07:00.008-04:00

We had a great time celebrating Paul's birthday!

I've always planned something special for his birthday so this year it was:

1- Opening presents at our house-- he practically got a whole new wardrobe! :)

2 -Dinner at Angelina's Ristorante (we've been wanting a reason to go there for a while)headed to dinner...he doesnt know where though!

at our table- the restaurant is gorgeous!

3- Then I told him we had another place for dessert...although he kept asking if we could go hang out with the Dahms...I told him after dessert we could check with them to see if they weren't doing anything...

He didn't know where we were going and I tried to confuse him on the drive...but on the way, I said "isn't it interesting that the Jehovah Witness church never has cars at it anymore?" then I realized what I had done...we both laughed about my blond moment and I took a different turn and confused him again...we ended up at:

The Stinziano house where some friends were there for a fabulous Katie Johnson "cowboy inspired" cake:

We tested out the new game, Quelf, which makes you say & do some crazy things! We all laughed hysterically and had a great time!

Hope you had a great 26th birthday babe!

Happy Birthday Hubby! +

2009-10-30T10:07:00.008-04:00

Today is my sweet husband's 26th birthday. I'm so grateful for the 6 1/2 years we've been together, and the 3 and almost 1/2 years we've been married! He's such a blessing, joy and love to me and I consider it a high high privilege to be his wife!

I have some surprises for him today so I'm sure I'll post about his birthday again! :)

I love you Paul Graham! You're my favorite! Here are some old school pics of him & us!

baller!

freshly engaged! :)

painting our condo together!

Love you Bubba! :)
--pooper

(not) leaving on a jet plane...

2009-10-22T09:40:00.006-04:00

I'm praying this morning for the team headed out to the John E. Halgrim Orphanage in Nairobi Kenya today...I so wish I was with them...

At church this weekend, a couple called over to me "Julie" they said...I was surprised because I didn't know them, but they seemed to know me...

"You don't know us, but we know you"

"Ok, I'd like to know you then!"

"You went to Africa...we saw your pictures...we're Suzanne & Tim and we're going this week...what should we expect?"

"BIG question I say..."

...and a hard one to answer...

I told them to prepare themselves to not be prepared for what they'd see. I told them to expect to get dirty. I told them to expect to want to adopt at least one child...and that they also couldn't actually plan to do it...I told them to hug Alex 17 times...a day. I told them I wish I was going with them and to enjoy every second...

I hope to return to my kids in Africa this coming April...God willing we will be able to afford it! Pray for the team that's there today thru next Saturday (Halloween)...pray for strength, grace, love and endurance. What a blessing that'd be!

Check out some of the videos of my trip last year here

M I A

2009-10-14T16:43:00.014-04:00

So I've been blog-MIA.

my bad!

My life has been soo busy lately! Here's a snapshot of what you've missed:

**My puppy got his first nail trim at the pet store. Didn't go so well. He was very scared and the lady told me he needs to go to a puppy class to be socialized. Lame. It's like $100 but she's probably right. I haven't signed up...

**The Small Group we knew and loved decided to split, so since I've posted we've been to our new group...it's very international! Our group leaders are Rob & Katie Anderson (he's Canadian) and one of our guys is from South Africa and his wife is from Lithuania! Cool, huh? We're doing the Fireproof Study to start, should be a good marriage boost (who doesn't need that?)!

**We went to 3 services on Sunday at the Summit Church University Campus (Naples recently went from 1 to 2 on Sunday)...with that came a need for more Host Team volunteers...it was a challenge but God provided some new leaders for that ministry, and thankfully, spread the burden from just me to Bill & Levi too (staff wise)...I'm excited to see where that's gonna go as it continues to grow to meet the need! Want to join the team? Email me! (shameless, I know...)

**I recently started a new bible study that I'm doing with my beloved friend, Mary Hines. It's called "Restore My Heart" and although we're only on the first week, I know I'm going to like it. It's a reminder of how I'm the chosen Bride of Christ and what a great love He has for me (and you!). Looking forward to all God has to teach me through it!

**I've been sick the last few days...everyone I know is convinced its morning sickness. News Flash: it's not. But, Paul and I joked about it without him getting freaked out (that's a first!)...

**Last but not least...I've gotten addicted to some new shows: FlashForward, Cougar Town & Glee while I'm still into the old faves: Grey's, Private Practice, Biggest Loser, SYTYCD, House and far too many more...anyone else watching any of those?

There, all caught up!

wedding season!

2009-09-30T19:47:00.002-04:00

This past weekend I was blessed to get to go to my cousin Tiffany's wedding in Jacksonville. It was a great trip because I got to see (most) of my family which is always so much fun! (missed you Mommy!)

On the way to Jacksonville I made a much-over-due stop at Granny's. Granny is my 87 year old Great Grandmother who sacrificially raised my younger sister and I from the time we were 2 & 3...I lived with her until I was 17 (see this post for details)... It was good to sit and look through old pictures of family with her...and I also got to show her my wedding album since she didn't make it to our wedding 3 years ago...

From there I drove on to Jacksonville for the festivities! It was a great wedding from ceremony to reception to the after party! I loved getting to see my cousin so beautiful and so happy! Her hubby seems like such a sweet guy and it was a blessing to witness her dad give her away...tear jerker!

Here are some highlights!

me & my youngest cousin, Aidan

my special Tnua...Aidan's mommy too!

love these girls like crazy!

here comes the bride!

you may KISS the bride!

gorgeous!

heart them.

first dance.

sisters.

Tnua & Nanny

father/daughter dance. not a dry eye in the family!

Josh watching his wife & father in law...

cousins.

the whole fam...welcome Josh!

Sarah with our Uncle Tom...he's the best!

the after party...

silly faces!

What a great weekend with my super fun family! Cant wait for the next event!

FALL TV! $

2009-09-21T19:09:00.005-04:00

It's finally here. The Fall TV Season!

I'm admittedly addicted to TV (and therefore SO thankful for DVR) and this week is the kick off of some of the best shows on TV!

I'm stoked for House, Grey's, SYTYCD, Biggest Loser and Private Practice...

I'm also going to try a few new shows this season: Glee, Mercy, FlashForward and maybe Cougar Town (with Courtney Cox)...

what are you watching?

#bold & beautiful#

2009-09-18T15:21:00.011-04:00

I cannot lie...I spend entirely too much time doing my makeup...but we all have our hobbies, right?

I've been preparing to do this post for a while, and there are going to be lots of "close ups" of me, but for the sake of of explaining my hobby! :) Bold makeup is something I really do love!

The funny thing is, I didn't really even wear makeup at all until I was a sophomore or junior in college...my how times have changed! Here's a "no makeup/bad hair day" pic for comparisons sake (the only picture that could beat this is my FGCU student ID pic, YIKES!)

Any way, one to more about my obsession...I love bold colors, dramatic effects, tools (brushes) and trying different color combos. I bought my MAC palette about a year ago (a gift from my hubby!), and I already think I could pick out another one!

I love love love MACs eyeshadow...I don't really buy MAC for other products...generally the rest of my makeup is super cheap! We're talking L'oreal, WetSeal, Almay, etc!

I definitely concentrate the majority of my time on my eyes...

One time I was at a girls-night-out makeup party and the "teacher" said that you never wear a smokey eye during the day. The ladies I was with all simultaneously turned to me as if to say "did you hear what she said?!? You break that rule!" They were right, I do it all the time!

Here are some closeups!

And finally, I must profess my LOVE for fake lashes!

Do you have any makeup tricks or pics you want to share? I'd love them!
I have to give a shout-out to my friend Heather, who has been a makeup inspiration to me! Check out her blog!

+baby fever+

2009-09-12T16:44:00.005-04:00

If I had a nickel for every time someone asked when I was gonna have a baby or worse, told me it was time for me to have a baby...we'd be RICH!

I have to admit, with the recent arrival of our friends' new one, Ayden, I find myself nearer to ready then I've ever been...but then again, he's darling. And, he's my favorite kind of baby: hold, love, kiss...and give back.

You see, in the circle I run in, those kinds of babies are not hard to find... Until there's a shortage of that kind of baby, I'm good without my own! Atleast, for another year I'm now telling my husband (weeks ago, he still had 2 years haha!)

Here's my little bud again!

Let me be clear...no baby for us anytime soon! I'm still content to bask in the role and privilege of just being a wife...I'm just officially moving toward maybe sorta wanting to think about some time having a baby...

The end of a (small group) era

2009-09-09T12:01:00.009-04:00

Last night we ended our small group with a great set of couples...we've met together for the last year and decided to split so that more couples could get into groups as part of Summit's fall Small Group launch.

It has been such a joy to share life with these couples (and other couples who've moved on). We've shared great memories, laughs, prayers and experiences. It's been such a blessing to see 3 boys born and start to grow in our time together!

We look forward with anticipation to what God is going to do in the groups that will be created from this split...we've all grown and learned and have much to share with others!

I love you guys!

an afternoon of fun! $

2009-09-07T11:12:00.009-04:00

Most couples get at least one day together on the weekends...our schedules are such though that we never get a full day together unless we're on vacation!

Yesterday (Sunday) Paul had to do some work in the morning while I was at church (my work!) so while he waited for me to get home he picked up around the house and made some "plans" for how we could spend the afternoon. He sent me a super sweet text "today is a good day because i'm married to u" and then proceeded to offer to make me lunch so I could just hang out when I got home. Love him!

After lunch we took our Signature Sunday Siesta, and then we headed out for some fun!

We took his toy out for a drive along the beach--down Bonita Beach to Ft. Myers beach. We like to drive around and look for hidden neighborhoods that would be fun to dream about moving to. We found a fabulous development close to the beach in Bonita!

Then we stopped in at Barnes & Noble to pick up a new book for him and then hit CPK for dinner. Next, we indulged at Paciugos Gelato (SOOOO YUMMY!)

...and then we went to hold sweet Ayden Dahm!

It was a super fun day with my man! Loved it!

Salmon for two...

2009-09-04T19:45:00.004-04:00

Today I decided I was in the mood for some salmon, and just happened to catch (on my DVR) Tyler's Ultimate Salmon...

I used his method to prepare it (coat the skin side in butter, salt & pepper and pan saute) and then I attempted to make his sauce with dill, caper & creme fresh, but I didn't really like it...we didn't eat it!

I broiled some asparagus and served it with garlic cauliflower (steam in the bag, lol!)

Here's the play by play!

prepped

preparing

served!

a sweet new arrival

2009-09-01T14:37:00.013-04:00

"Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from Him..."
Psalm 127:3

We are soooo excited to welcome into the world our dear friends' Cory & Megan Dahm's new sweet baby boy!

Carol took these beautiful photos last week, as we still waited with joyful anticipation "will it be a boy, or a girl?"

Ayden Ray Dahm

entered the world at 5:43pm on August 31st, 2009 weighing 7lbs. 10 ounces and became the immediate love of his parents' lives!

I was supposed to witness his birth, but unfortunately "duty called" and I had to head back to work, 13 minutes before he arrived! I rushed back to meet him after the Connecting Point dinner and I too fell in love! Meet our new "nephew"!

"The father of a righteous man has great joy;
he who has a wise son delights in him." Proverbs 23:24

We love you already Ayden!

lessons on the "Romans Road"

2009-08-28T10:51:00.003-04:00

I've been reading in Romans lately (taking a much-needed break from the OT- I read 4 books in a row there, usually I take turns, OT then NT)

God is reminding me of the glorious grace He lavished upon me...and you. It demands such a life response!

When I read this, I had to share. Let the Word speak to you:

"For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Therefore, what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death." (Romans 6:20-21)

We must ask ourselves that question! When we find ourselves pursuing the sin we were redeemed from, we must ask "what's the benefit"?

The Word goes on:

"But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life" (Romans 6:22)

Don't let this world lie to you! We have our benefit!

Recipe for the week! $

2009-08-28T08:00:00.002-04:00

I wont have another free night this weekend, so this is it!
As promised, a recipe a week!

This was a quick week-night dinner, nothing really fancy and no cook book here, but it was super tasty, and fun to make!

Quick Chicken Stir Fry

7 ounces chicken breast
3 cups fresh stir fry veggie mix
1 brown rice cup (ready to serve, a recent store life saver I've found!)
1 tbs. canola oil
salt & pepper
special kitchen tools: wok

Over high heat let your wok heat up and then add the canola oil and let it heat up for about 30 seconds. Then add your chicken and let it brown up and cook through. Add you fresh veggies and the salt & pepper (to taste). Let the veggies sear and cook up before adding the rice. The rice cup I use is pre-cooked rice so you only need to add it for long enough to heat through and soak up some of the oil. I'm trying to keep my sodium intake low (and found out while stir-frying that while I was out of the country my hubby accidentally left the soy sauce out over night and threw it out, so we had none!) so I didn't use soy sauce, but if I had, I would've added 1 tbs. toward the end...

Voila! That's it! This scrumptious meal was only 700 calories too! :)

here's how it turned out!

Ignite

2009-08-27T09:48:00.006-04:00

This Tuesday I was blessed to attend the first Ignite of the 09/10 school year. Ignite is the college ministry of Summit and is also a campus organization.

More than that, it was the catalyst for my life change when I was a college sophomore. My freshman year some friends invited me to check out their small group. I went. Every couple weeks I'd drop in for the conversation and fellowship (it was co-ed back then) and I enjoyed the friendships I made, even though they were pretty surface. Funny story, when I was going that year, I had missed the first few where they talked about the "commitment" you make to group, so my leaders were probably so frustrated that I came when I felt like it, not consistently, but somehow I still got asked to lead a group my freshman year. That's when I really got discipled and realized that Christianity isn't a Sunday activity...it's my lifestyle...and it's about Jesus, not about church.

I fell in love with Ignite and served there wholeheartedly for 6 years. I grew, changed, was challenged, challenged others and decided to go into full-time ministry because of it. Ignite was huge, and I'm grateful for the many things God did in & through me during my time there!

I'm especially grateful for these things:

-the discipleship I received from several pastors & leaders
-my Bffship!
-the deep friendships I made
-the girls & guys I personally witnessed receive Christ for the first time (Rob, Sarah, Kelly, so many more!)
-the people I watched "get it" for the first time, and truly give their full lives to Christ (move from Sunday-only Christians to true followers of Christ)
-the memories and inside jokes that will last a life time "YAWN! What!? I'm tired!" "It's only about 250 yards from here, trust me, I was in marching band!"
-the amazing trips I took/helped lead (Vegas, Ft. Lauderdale, Keys, Atlanta, Nashville...)
-my internship - Jamin was a tough boss, but it paid off!

here are some pics from this week's ignite!

KT & I were laughing, realizing that Jared & Heather's baby will be like Ellie was to us, she will be like the Ignite "mascot" and will have a load of 20-year-old friends like Ellie did when we were in Ignite!

If you haven't been, and you're a college-aged student, check out Ignite! 8PM every Tuesday at Summit Church www.collegeignite.com

back to the good ole days...

2009-08-24T14:17:00.006-04:00

This weekend I took some time to relish in one of my old hobbies: cooking!

I cant remember the last time I took more than 15 minutes to plan, prep and make a meal. That used to be my favorite past-time! In college the only TV I watched was The Food Network and I collected probably 15 cookbooks in those 4 years...I never even crack them open. It's sad.

So this weekend I decided to spend some time cooking. I did 2 simple things, but it was so much fun! I made Chef Jorge's calzone (and a pizza for Paul) and a classic chocolate chip cookie...all while watching Food Network for hours. It was glorious!

Here are some shots:

a few of my cookbooks, those that sit in my kitchen...

my Sous Chef! haha!

I decided that once a week I will open a cookbook and try a new recipe...if you enjoy something, do it, right??

My first family vacay! +

2009-08-12T14:56:00.037-04:00

My big sister Sarah got married on Friday in the British Virgin Island of Virgin Gorda. It was an awesome opportunity for us as a family to have a reason to take our first family vacation! *For more on why we'd never had such an opportunity before, check this blog post

Unfortunately, last minute we couldn't swing for Paul to go (financially) but I still was able to go on this once-in-a-life time trip...I'm thankful that my amazing hubby understood the importance of it! I had such a great time getting to bond with my sisters and Mom and my new bro-in-love, and my Mom's boyfriend of 3 years, Matt.

We made some incredible memories and shared lots of laughs! It was an awesome time! One night me, Sarah & Kadie went snorkeling together and saw a huge school of fish. That's a life memory we'll cherish forever! What a unique experience we got to share!

Here are the highlights pic-by-pic!

Sarah had rented a villa for the week, thankfully, she let me stay there once I realized my hotel room door didn't lock...i loved sittin in this hammock and readin my bible!

me & my pretty bride sister!

the beach was absolutely
g o r g e o u s!!!

wedding day! Getting hair and makeup done!
Her friend Melis did the ceremony, and she does hair! Her BF did the pics! They should open a business!

Just before she headed out to the beach for the ceremony: all the girls (Nan, Mommy, Sarah, Kadie and me)

She usually doesn't wear much makeup, so i was a little worried it would be "too much"...after the ceremony I asked her husband what he thought and he said "she usually doesn't wear any so i wasn't sure what to expect, but she looks BEAUTIFUL!"...it was so sweet!

me and Paula walkin to the ceremony sight...a loooooong walk indeed!

photo op time!

She was escorted by Bob, who's been our Nanny's boyfriend for 25 years, so he practically raised her... it was very special for both of them!

Frankie's first look!

they recited their own vows...he was so nervous, nobody could hear but her (i read them later, super sweet!)

my beautiful sisters...
love my mommy...
the path back to the villa was very woody! i asked if Sarah wanted me to carry her train, but Frankie insisted he do it! so sweet!first dance as Mr.& Mrs. Frank Volturo!
me & Matt (my mom's boyfriend)...one of the great things on this trip was getting to spend some time with him...my mom is starting to refer to him as "our dad" which is something I could get used to...wow. big statement.

Another great thing about this trip: I hadn't ever gotten to spend much time with Frank in their 8 years of being together so we had some quality time to bond! He kept calling Kadie & I "Sister"! that was cute...
Melis, my traveling buddy, hair dressing partner and wedding officiant!

priceless!

I got lots of quality time with Sarah on this trip- HUGE blessing! We spent 2 hours one day talking about our childhood, and what we believed about God...

me on the steel drums...silly Kadie (aka, the baby)Kadie's BF, Shane (affectionately known as "shane-pagne" on this trip!)
This here is "Sweet Ice Willie"(SIW)...he was the taxi driver who picked up Kadie & Shane when they arrived at the ferry dock...they quickly befriended him and were having a blast by the time he got them to the villa. They shouted to Sarah how great he was, so Sarah suggested they invite him in for a drink. He said he couldn't, but would come back later. He did. He showered up and came back to hang out (which I thought was weird.) Shane had a major bromance going and Willie seemed cool (minus the heavy come-on's he was throwing my way--creeeeepy!). He kind of stuck around a while, telling us about his professional basketball career and how Virgin Gorda was a very low-crime island. Finally, he headed out for the night and someone mentioned he should be waiting for our call the next night to take guests home after the wedding. So...the night of the wedding, one of Sarah's friends called him to get a ride to pick up some "things" and when they finished their run, SIW came back for the wedding party...this pic is Kadie greeting him. ---ENTER DRAMA---
The steel drum player mentioned to Frank that SIW was known around the island for trouble (theft, drugs, etc) so now we were all freaked out. We decided Shane should be the one to tell him to leave so Shane told him he needed to go and wasn't to come back unless he was called, that "we were told not to trust him". SIW apparently didn't like that. The next day he tracked down the house manager of the Villa and followed her home and threatened her for giving him a bad name! YIKES! He's the main reason I didn't want to sleep in my hotel room with an unlocking door by myself! (Side note: Kadie & Shane looked him up and apparently he was falsely accused of the crimes he was known for, but i might add, his sister is a cop...just sayin)

family dinner night...

we took a hike down to "the baths" a famous boulder beach area...crazy caves and boulders!

these are the caves and rocks my sister and their friends like to climb! crazy!

do you see the skull in this rock?

never a dull sunset there...and lots of shooting stars! (no proof, sorry)

lovebirds...

my last full day, Mom & Matt rented a car so we could check out the island...

everyone had their honey, but me! (boo!)

Kadie & Shane missed their Monday flight, so they were waiting for me at the airport on Tuesday! Got to snap a couple extra pics!
Kadie also snagged my bible off me before she got on the plane...cant wait to hear what she thinks! :)

Great family vacay! Maybe in a couple years we'll go again, Paul too!

love that group!

2009-08-01T15:45:00.008-04:00

I've been wanting to do this post for a while, but needed to get some pictures first!

Paul and I have the privilege of doing life with a few couples who we are so blessed to call friends. We've been meeting for a year, and seen a few couples come and go during that time... Now, we have the Wiebe's (moving to Tennessee on Monday!), the Prive's, the Dahm's and the Lopez's...

We've enjoyed going through some marriage studies, talking about the Word and what God's teaching us in it, asking & attempting to answer lots of random faith questions and then attempting to "learn" the Old Testament...It's been a fun ride and we cant wait to see what God has for us in the fall, we hope to grow numerically but most importantly, spiritually!

Here are some silly pics of us! Love you guys!!

enjoying "heavenly balls" or "Cory's balls" - way inside joke...

the Lopez boys always match!

baby Ty when he was born!

baby Ty more filled out! tehe

silly Carol...

silly Carol!

oooooh, photobooth!

model faces...

someone looks possessive, can you see who?

our newest group addition: Ezekiel Wiebe

all of us! We'll miss you Weibe's!!

this picture is my small group's fave of me...just thought I'd include it! haha

Why (we) fell...

2009-07-31T13:12:00.003-04:00

I'm still in 2 Kings and today I came across a passage we must apply to our current (national) state:

2 Kings 17:7-23

Why Israel Fell
⁷Now this came about because the sons of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and they had feared other gods
⁸and walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD had driven out before the sons of Israel, and in the customs of the kings of Israel which they had introduced.
⁹The sons of Israel did things secretly which were not right against the LORD their God. Moreover, they built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city.
¹⁰They set for themselves sacred pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree,
¹¹and there they burned incense on all the high places as the nations did which the LORD had carried away to exile before them; and they did evil things provoking the LORD.
¹²They served idols, concerning which the LORD had said to them, "You shall not do this thing."
¹³Yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah through all His prophets and every seer, saying, "Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments, My statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through My servants the prophets."
¹⁴However, they did not listen, but stiffened their neck like their fathers, who did not believe in the LORD their God.
¹⁵They rejected His statutes and His covenant which He made with their fathers and His warnings with which He warned them And they followed vanity and became vain, and went after the nations which surrounded them, concerning which the LORD had commanded them not to do like them.
¹⁶They forsook all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal.
¹⁷Then they made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and practiced divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him.
¹⁸So the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them from His sight; none was left except the tribe of Judah.
¹⁹Also Judah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the customs which Israel had introduced.
²⁰The LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel and afflicted them and gave them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them out of His sight.
²¹When He had torn Israel from the house of David, they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king Then Jeroboam drove Israel away from following the LORD and made them commit a great sin.
²²The sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them
²³until the LORD removed Israel from His sight, as He spoke through all His servants the prophets So Israel was carried away into exile from their own land to Assyria until this day.

A long passage, yes. But do you not see the parallel to our nation today? As a nation we no longer give our worship to the one True God.

It starts in our individual lives... we cant expect change if we're not willing to make the necessary changes in our own lives first!

Just sayin...

G3 Series at Summit Church

2009-07-27T10:45:00.000-04:00

So a million times on this blog so far I've mentioned how passionate I am about being a wife, and not just being a wife, but pursuing being a godly wife. This weekend at Summit in our G3 series on Stewardship, we looked at the role of a wife and how to steward it.

It was a great reminder of the high calling we have as wives and how the call to submit is beautiful as we seek to be our husband's helper.

Here are the links to hear the messages!
Orlando & Pam Cabrera- University Campus
Jamin & Vicky Stinziano - Naples Campus (this one isnt up yet, check back for it!)

baptism and life change ^

2009-07-27T10:41:00.007-04:00

We had a baptism service yesterday at Barefoot Beach in Bonita for 7 people at Summit who have given their lives to Christ. I wrote a few days ago about a girl I met with who has been through a lot...I was so blessed to share in her joy as she made her public profession of faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation!

"We are keeping silent"...

2009-07-24T11:46:00.004-04:00

As I continue to travel through the Old Testament, I was struck in my reading today...

Context: There was a great famine in Samaria, to the point that the people had resorted to cannibalism. Elisha is the prophet at the time and he speaks the word of the Lord that there would be food "tomorrow" a the gate of Samaria. Meanwhile, 4 leprous men were on the outside the camp of the Arameans and figured they'd brave the camp since they were going to die of starvation if they didn't at least try to go to the camp and see if they Arameans would take them in... they saw themselves in a lose-lose situation. Die by the Arameans or die by starvation. They brave the camp. Miraculously, God had

"caused the army of the Arameans to hear a sound of chariots and a sound of horses, even the sound of a great army, so that they said to one another, "Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us." ⁷Therefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents and their horses and their donkeys, even the camp just as it was, and fled for their life.
(2 King 7:6-7)

so when the lepers arrived, the found a camp full of clothes, weapons, food and anything else they might need. They started hoarding it, enjoying it, eating it to their full. Then, (here's the crux) they say this:

⁹Then they said to one another, "We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, but we are keeping silent; if we wait until morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come, let us go and tell the king's household."

They chose not to hoard the good news that they had found for themselves!

I have the best news ever and I must not hoard it, enjoy it for myself only, eat of it to my full without passing it on.

We (every human, you and me both) are completely sinful. Jesus Christ was completely sinless. Because God is holy, He requires holiness. God sacrificed His Son, Jesus Christ, on our behalf so that we could have TRUE, EVERLASTING LIFE through trusting in His life for salvation. Because Jesus was sinless, died in our place, was raised again and now sits at God's right hand, trusting in Him alone merits us eternal life which can begin today if you choose to trust Him.

Have you done that? I have to ask...

I sat with a girl yesterday who has the craziest story I've ever heard. She's seen so many awful things, experienced the worst things you could imagine. Yet recently, she chose to place her life in Jesus' hand. She gets it. Her story is now ransomed and redeemed by the King of Kings...she will never be the same! Praise God! That's what it's all about!

Here's to sharing, not hoarding, the best news ever. We cannot keep silent!

my little sis ^

2009-07-18T13:45:00.004-04:00

My "baby" sister Kadie turns 24 today...

She's the one I grew up with, so she's the one I have the most memories with...she always successfully played the "baby" card and even though she was younger (only 1 year) she certainly gave me a run for my money!

We shared a room most of our lives and have lots of funny stories, and I love her very much! Hope you have a great 24th year sis! Remember, "we're not a funny family, we're a serious family!"

Maggie Stinziano - a life well lived #

2009-07-17T11:57:00.007-04:00

Last night we celebrated the amazing, Christ-centered life of Maggie Stinziano...

She was a dedicated follower of Christ, wife, mother, sister and friend. I cant say I knew her very well, but I was blessed to be able to work along side her family for 3 years (Jordan, her husband, was one of the founding pastors of Summit).

I remember when she was diagnosed, Jordan had such faith...and really, I remember that it was greatly encouraged because of Maggie's great faith. She was never angry at God for her cancer and she never doubted His plan. Instead, she embraced His story for her life, and sought to live a life of faith, regardless of her circumstances. What a legacy for those of us living beside them...

As we worshiped God last night at Maggie's memorial I was overwhelmed with the Spirit. The same Spirit that dwelt in Maggie, giving her unbelievable love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness & self control. I desperately wanted to love Christ so much that those things oozed out of me, like they did of Maggie.

I know several people who attended her memorial without ever meeting her. That's because her life was that full of the sweetness of Christ, she touched people she never even knew.

What will I be remembered for? God, please, let it be my love for your life-giving Son! I want to be a woman who loved You so much, that others remember You, when they think of me.

I read this today, in 2 Corinthians 2:14, and it reminded me of her:

¹⁴But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.

In the program, Jordan used this scripture to speak of her, and it describes her wonderfully:

“An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than
jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have
no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of
her life…Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband
also, and he praises her: ‘Many women have done excellently, but
you surpass them all.’ Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but
a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her of the
fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.”
(Proverbs 31:10-12, 28-31 ESV)

Lord, Thank you for your daughter Maggie, and the challenge and encouragement she's been to me. Thank you for Jordan, and the model & strength he's been to so many too. I'm so blessed to call them friends!

Adventure part deux

2009-07-14T18:16:00.009-04:00

I posted about the first "leg" of our trip...now it's time to report on the second part!

Here are a few pics I didn't post before, from the Jersey part:

I had a mini self photo shoot while Paul worked...

Paul "stop taking pictures and just walk, it's not safe" as we're walking in South Philly to Nicks Roast Beef sandwiches (yum!)

yep, more of just me, haha! In this one I actually look like my "celebrity look alike"- Claire Danes!

he barely let me take any pics of us the whole time!

their gorgeous garden!

My older sister, Sarah, is getting married on August 7, 2009 (in the Virgin Islands, yes!) so I wanted to surprise her for her Bridal Shower. Since we ended up driving, Paul got to be with me for a few days with family! Here are some of the pics!

me and my momma.

Tnua & Aidan (aunt Andie and cousin!)

Paul exhausted after playing nerf guns in the house for an hour with my cousin Aidan and my mom's BF, Matt! it was pretty entertaining...

the four of us girls: me, mom, Tnua and Sarah

a cute one of sis & tnua

Aidan claiming "victory" over the guys in "nerf war"

Paul's cannon ball into Andie's freezing cold pool!

one of the few we took in PA

the infamous "shower bonnet" - not gonna lie, all my friends used them as rehearsal dinner flowers not hats...maybe its a northern thing?

Sarah with her future mother-in-love Maddie

me & the bride!

the happy couple! Sarah & Frank "frankie" Volturo (almost!)

not sure why this is so blurry but a great pic otherwise!

love my "special tnua"!

mommy!

sisters.

Philly skyline

somewhere in Delaware

All in all we had a great time...it was awesome to get to spend time with Paul and to enjoy getting to know his clients more (I had great convos with both the Mr. and the Mrs!) and to see my family! Can't believe I leave in 3 weeks for the wedding in the Virgin Islands! aaah!

last minute adventure $

2009-07-07T11:29:00.013-04:00

So last Friday Paul found out that a road trip he was going to take to Massachusetts before his work week in New Jersey was in fact not canceled, but his 2nd cousin was no longer going to drive with him so 12 hours before departure, he asked me to go with him. He needed me to be along side since he'd be pulling a trailer and driving 25 hours, alone that wouldn't be so fun.

So, on Saturday, July 4th at 4:15 AM we pulled out of our drive and headed to Fort Mill, SC for our first night...a pit stop at Jamie & Jay's!

We left their place at 4AM on Sunday to head to Sturbridge, MA to unload the trailer...we passed through several states, including Pennsylvania, where I was born...we stopped for lunch in Allentown, the town I was born in!Here, we unloaded the trailer (into the adorable house above, built in the 1930's) and ate dinner with the family (Paul's great aunt & uncle, in their 90's, his aunt and cousin & cousin's wife). At 9PM Paul decided he still wanted to drive, since we were 5hours away from the next destination. We found a WIFI connection in a gas station and I pricelined a hotel "just past New York" so we wouldn't have to fight that traffic in the morning. We ended up booking a Hyatt room in Jersey City. As we got closer (3 hours or so) we realized Jersey City is practically down town Manhattan. Paul tells me to cancel the GPS, we cant stay there because we cant drive the "big rig" in the city. But it was too late...we had already been pushed into NYC traffic. I cannot describe to you how bad this was. We were in down town Manhattan at 1 AM driving a Dodge Ram 25oo with a 16 ft. trailer. Talk about stress. The GPS couldn't tell us where we were, much less how to get out. We drove in circles (barely keeping from knocking cars off the road) until we finally got "directed" by Rhonda, (forgot to mention we had named the GPS) to go to the Holland Tunnel. When we get to the road that goes to the tunnel its DEAD STOP TRAFFIC. It's now about 1:30AM and we don't move for 3o minutes. Eventually Paul gets out of the line for the tunnel (and I'm thinking, where will we go now, that's the only way Rhonda knew!) but somehow he figured out another way out "towards New Jersey". We stopped 15 minutes later at a truck stop and I called the Hyatt we had booked and asked them to give me another Hyatt closer to "Moorestown NJ", where we were ultimately headed. He heard "Morris Town" and booked us a hotel 30 minutes from where we were and we arrived at 3AM. We had been up for 24.5 hours driving almost the whole time.

The next morning we asked Rhonda to get us to Moorestown...we had to go 2 hours the opposite way, since apparently Morris Town NJ was no where near Moorestown.

Anyway...we got to Moorestown at 1PM or so on Monday. Here's the house we're staying at for Paul to work til Friday!

So while Paul works all week, I'll be "using the amenities" and helping him if I can! Not too rough, huh?

A quarter of a century $

2009-07-02T14:37:00.010-04:00

Today is my 25th Birthday.
I'm getting old, huh?

My prayer for this year comes from my reading today in
1 Kings:

1 Kings 8:61

⁶¹"Let your heart therefore be wholly devoted to the LORD our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day."

What a great year it would be if that were really true of me!

Ritz Staycation! $

2009-06-30T18:24:00.019-04:00

We had the awesome blessing to do a mini "staycation" for our 3 year anniversary with dear friends of ours, the Hines' (who were celebrating their 26 year anniversary- same day!)

We stayed at the Ritz Golf Club in Naples, with spa treatments and poolside time at the Ritz Beach Club (also in Naples!)

We had a blast with our friends, and it was nice to "get away" even if it was short...

Check out the play by play:

we started with breakfast at Trail Cafe in Bonita...

we couldnt check in right away, so we lounged by the pool for a few...
b

then to lunch at Pei Wei before the guys dropped us off for our Spa treatments at the Beach Club

Paul' quote of the weekend: "someone has to drive, cuz someone's impaired..."

so excited for our spa time!

Dinner @ Brio in Waterside

Jim's so silly...

mini desserts: cheers!

waaay too posed!

Paul was being veeeery silly! me too I guess!

waiting for the boys to come down stairs, so we did a photo shoot!

Day 2: breakfast at Lemonia (the hotel restaurant)

my eyes were veeeery puffy, lame!

we separated for the day: guys to golf, girls to pool/spa (pics of boys later!)

tiny tabasco!

Paul's magic powers!

Tour of the spa: lots and lots of free stuff!

loungin around the Beach Resort...

after having my brows reshaped!

dinner @ Daruma!

dessert @ Haagen Dazs!

Mary had a coupon! (it was expired)

oops, got some of my cone on him!

after ice cream, i gave them a quick summary of this seasons Bachelorette, then we headed back to our room to watch! Jim didn't make it through!

Jim may have a slight obsession with the free toiletries, and as his luck would have it, a maid randomly knocked on our door to see if we needed anything. Jim to the maid "yes, I think we need some hand lotion...and chocolate"...

Paul may have eaten all of our snacks...there was evidence- chips in the bathroom!

as much fun as we had, we sure missed our little cowboy! he had a fun time at his grandparents!

Abundant Wisdom

2009-06-26T11:35:00.003-04:00

As I read in 1 Kings 3 today about how Solomon was given the opportunity to ask of anything he wanted from God...I gained new insight.

Yes, Solomon made a very godly choice in asking for wisdom & discernment in order to rule & administer justice fairly:

⁵In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, "Ask what you wish me to give you."Solomon's Prayer⁶Then Solomon said, "You have shown great lovingkindness to Your servant David my father, according as he walked before You in truth and righteousness and uprightness of heart toward You; and You have reserved for him this great lovingkindness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. ⁷"Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king in place of my father David, yet I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.⁸"Your servant is in the midst of Your people which You have chosen, a great people who are too many to be numbered or counted.⁹"So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?"

We all know this part of the story...this part alone is convicting. I find myself asking "What would I ask for?" I would like to say I'd ask for "a deep growing intimacy with God that would never diminish, only grow". In honesty, I say I cant claim I would ask for that...

But this is what I saw today...

Later on in Solomon's life, we know from Scripture that his multiple wives lead to his downfall. But Scripture doesn't say that God ever took away the gift of wisdom he received. When God gave it, it was a lifelong, non-refundable gift. So we must assume, he chose to not use that wisdom in several decisions in his life. OUCH.

I, like Solomon, have been given all the wisdom I need in order to honor God.

I have access to His Word, His Spirit lives in me - constantly offering guidance & wisdom and I'm blessed to be surrounded by several godly friends and mentors who are an encouragement and challenge to me.

Yet, I still often choose sin. What's up with that??

My prayer today is that I would remember that God has saved & redeemed me and I have all the tools I need to lay my life before God as a living sacrifice. Maybe in remembering that, I would CHOOSE obedience. Obedience is rooted in my love for God.

Romans 12 (The Message)
Place Your Life Before God
^1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Just some thoughts...

Alex turns 5!

2009-06-25T16:32:00.003-04:00

Not only is today our 3 year anniversary,
it's Alex's 5th Birthday!

Say a prayer for him, would you?...that he'd find everything he needs in Jesus Christ, and that God continue to graciously meet all his physical and spiritual needs!

++a "few" years of marriage ++

2009-06-25T08:08:00.004-04:00

Today is our 3 Year Anniversary!
I can't believe it's been that long!?

I feel so blessed to have had the privilege of being Paul Graham's wife for these 3 years, and to have been with him for over 6 now...

I thought it would be a good idea to take some time to reflect on what I've learned in the three short years we've been married. What a roller coaster it has been, both good & bad... but I guess that's real life, real marriage!

1) It's not easy. Haha. Yes, I said it!

When you're preparing to get married, you have some expectations and hopes and dreams about how it's all going to be. We were very fortunate to have over 9 months of premarital counseling with Orlando & Pam Cabrera. They helped us to identify some of our expectations and to see which ones were appropriate and what we needed to get a reality check on. They helped us walk through some of the areas in our relationship that would be potential challenges once we tied the knot. We laughed, cried, yelled, prayed and learned a lot in those 9 months...but still...during those last few weeks, you're overwhelmed by the excitement of the wedding day that you kind of forget that you're about to turn your life upside down by uniting it with another person. All that said...I learned, it's not easy. The movies aren't accurate. It's a daily challenge to become ONE with another person.

2) It's not about your plans

Two short months after we got married, my new husband discovered that he needed surgery in an interesting place. With that surgery came a full time home-nurse responsibility that was placed on me. Talk about intimacy in marriage! I didnt plan to have to nurse my husband's behind for 2 and a half months right after getting married. We didn't plan to spend a ton of money on surgery & aftercare and we certainly didn't plan to be entirely inconvenienced by his need for surgery that made it difficult for him to work, for us to travel and just the general day to day inconveniences of it all. BUT...it was such a rich time for us. I certainly had to lay down my needs and serve him every day in a very humbling (for both of us) way, and it grew our relationship A LOT...funny story too, after he (finally) healed...a year later, IT CAME BACK and he had to have the surgery again. Round two, anyone??
(prayer request: it might be back for a third go: pray that it doesn't, please!)

Also, since Paul has his own business, that's been a reminder of not "making plans" without recognizing that God is the real Planmaker. We were fortunate for the first 2 and a half years to be pretty "set" and now we're in a place with the changing economy where we're regularly reminded that God is our Provider and Paul is the one He does it through...but His way...His timing...

3) The roles in marriage are literally impossible (without Christ)

I honestly dont know how people stay married these days if they're not in a growing relationship with Jesus. The husband and wife's roles are entirely impossible if not aided by the Holy Spirit! In our quick 3 years there have been countless times that I've literally had to stop (shut up) and pray intently for the Jesus to remind me of my vows and help me to live as Ephesians 5 says...

Ephesians 5:22-35 - Marriage Like Christ and the Church

²²Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. ²³For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. ²⁴But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. ²⁵Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, ²⁶so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, ²⁷that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.²⁸So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; ²⁹for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, ³⁰because we are members of His body. ³¹FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. ³²This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. ³³Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.

Those are 3 big lessons for 3 years of marriage...but I also want to share some of the fun/exciting/memorable things that I've taken out of a few years of being a wife!

I love that we have our own "language"...we're pretty weird when it's just us, but we like it that way!
We've gotten into community! We've LOVED being a part of small groups (3 in 3 years) where we're surrounded and encouraged by other couples going through the same kinds of things...we highly recommend it!
We try to make quality time as a couple a HIGH priority... We could do better at this, but we have to make our date night, down time, us-only time something that can't be overruled or re-scheduled. I love - love - love coming home on a lazy night, watching a movie and just relaxing together. Love it.
It's cheesy...but it's a sweet blessing to lay down at night and wake up in the morning next to your favorite person!
All in all...I consider it a high high privilege to be a wife...and it's my favorite "job"!

Check out some of our wedding photos and "highlights" from our 3 wedded years!

Oh, and Happy 26th Anniversary Jim & Mary Hines!

Some trips:

Final Results of Making the Cut

2009-06-23T19:55:00.006-04:00

So after 30 Days of Jillian Michaels' Making the Cut I have the following results:

-6.2lbs
-7.5 inches
-2% body fat

The plan is pretty cool...it includes both a fitness plan (circuit training, 1 hour at a time, 4 days a week) and a meal plan tailored to your metabolic type. The calorie limit is your BMR (the amount your body burns if you laid in bed all day, find it online with a google search).

I really enjoyed the eating plan (usually when I diet I wouldn't have eaten most of the things I did on this plan: eggs, fats, etc).

I never felt hungry, and I got used to limiting my sodium and drinking 6x the water I used to...

I do plan to keep to about 90% of the plan elements from here on out, BUT, I will be eating more salt and incorporating some "cheats" a few times a week. I do want to keep doing the circuit training from her book...and I hope to post more results in another month!

My next month's goal?
-4 lbs
-4 inches
-2.5 % body fat

so long, perfect Jake!

2009-06-22T22:19:00.004-04:00

What was up with Jillian's decision tonight?

I mean yes, get rid of Fetish (3 weeks ago woulda been nice)...but Michael over Jake?? No. Not smart.

Oh well.

Now Ed's gone, Jake's gone...if she gets rid of Kiptyn, I'll never be able to watch again...

For a great recap, visit this site!

the confession of a King...

2009-06-19T11:27:00.004-04:00

A while back I read 1 Samuel and posted on how I wanted to be like David--a man after God's own heart. A man full of integrity and passion for God. A man who I thought did everything right.

Yes, I knew he screwed up with Bathsheba. But I hadn't read that part yet, so I thought he was AWESOME.

Then I read about his sin with Bathsheba, the way he had Urriah murdered (her husband) and the subsequent unraveling of his royal family. It was all directly caused by his great sin.

All-of-a-sudden I found myself totally judging David!

"You're supposed to be a man after God's own heart! I said I wanted to be like you! I would NEVER cheat on my husband! And your parenting skills? Severely lacking! No, I'm not a parent, but I'm sure I could do a better job than you're doing!

Wow. Prideful much, Julie Graham? I would say so...

The thing I've learned as I've been traveling through 2 Samuel is that, YES, David sinned. His sin had horrible consequences. BUT...He was a man of confession.

What made him "a man after God's own heart" was his willingness to confess & repent of his sin. In 2 Samuel 22 he writes a psalm on God's deliverance. In it he writes with confidence of his position before God, and it's all about GOD. Not about what David's done. What God has done...

²⁰"He also brought me forth into a broad place;
He rescued me, because He delighted in me.
²¹"The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness;
According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.
²²"For I have kept the ways of the LORD,
And have not acted wickedly against my God.
²³"For all His ordinances were before me,
And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them.
²⁴"I was also blameless toward Him,
And I kept myself from my iniquity."

It sort of feels like David shouldn't be saying that, right? But that's the beauty of God's grace. God does see us that way, once we confess and turn from our sin! Hallelujah! What loving, saving, glorious grace!

I'm recognizing the need for regular confession & repentance in my life. Every morning in my "Coffee & Bible" time, I make the point first to confess sin to God. It's often that I find myself thinking "nope, didn't do anything yesterday...", so then on those days, what do I write in my journal?

"I confess my pride. I confess my overwhelming need for YOU to be my sufficiency today. I confess my lack of humility and the idea that I think I'm pretty good on my own. Remind me of that as I walk with You today"

I know I'm a sinful woman. But the beauty is, I can also be a woman after God's own heart. That's who I want to be.

⁴⁷"The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock;
And exalted be God, the rock of my salvation,"

my CORE VALUES...as part of my Chazown!

2009-06-17T12:59:00.013-04:00

Have you ever read the book Chazown, by Craig Groeschel? It's really cool...it helps you uncover your life vision...I read it (well, maybe 70% of it) last summer and am now reading it again with a friend.

This week the section calls you to define your personal core values. He says

"What you cherish at your core is what you aim at with your life. When God made you, He planted within your heart certain things you value deeply. They're hardwired into your heart. They're the values that, if you were to follow the path God has for you, would become the driving forces of your life. They're the things you'd be willing to die for. They explain how you come by your personal priorities."

He also asks you two questions to help you identify what your true core values are:

"What stirs righteous anger in you? What makes you mad on God's behalf? What offends your sense of justice and morality?"

&

"What brings you bliss? what kind of relationship or activity brings you deep feelings of meaning and fulfillment, and happily drives you to achieve?"

After those considerations, I landed on these 6:

GOD
He is the giver of my life, and in everything I exists to glorify Him.

MARRIAGE
I understand from Scripture that my relationship with Paul (and yours with your spouse) is the closest example to the Church's relationship with Christ. I also know from my short experience in being married, that it's through my marriage that I am most challenged in my walk with Christ. I want to have a marriage that changes my character. I love to see strong, healthy, godly marriages. I grieve deeply for marriages that don't depict Christ's relationship with us. Understand, I'm not at all saying that I think I have a perfect marriage. I don't. I'm saying this is something that drives me.

CHARACTER
I believe that who you are on the inside is what matters most. It doesn't matter how you well you can act or what show you can put on when you're around certain people. It's who you are in the most sincerest sense. Your character determines how you treat people, if you're dependable, reliable, trustworthy, respectful, respectable, faithful. It's SO important!

INITIATIVE
I'm the kind of person who CANT STAND IT if you don't pick up a dropped ball. Sorry. That's how God made me! (See above on my heart for marriage? This one can be in conflict with it! If I think something should or shouldn't be done, I have to fight my flesh if it's out of my "wife role" to decide or act...)

JOY
I'm generally a fun-loving, giggly, outgoing person. I love to be around the party. I have had sort of a rough road in life (see my last post) but I strive to choose JOY in all circumstances. God is good all the time...so I try to live like that.

WELLNESS
This one is tricky. I do believe it's a value for me though. I want to live a healthy life. I want to take care of the "temple" God has given me (my body!). Sometimes I get "off track" and lose focus of this value...but I cant usually do that for long until I'm dead-set on making a change (how I eat, exercise, etc...).
{see all my weightloss posts, haha! THIS TIME I'm going to maintain for real!}

Craig warns,

"Claimed values. Practiced values. They aren't always the same."

If you know me well, would you say you see these in my life? If not, do tell! I want to learn and grow and change, always!

And...what are YOUR values? Do you have any?

Progress Report 4 $

2009-06-15T16:09:00.004-04:00

Today is Day 22 on Making the Cut...Last week I lost 2 lbs, yay!

In the 3 weeks I've been doing it, I've lost 6lbs (the inches and body fat percentage will be calculated at the end!).

So, tomorrow & Wednesday are "off" workout days, then I work out Thursday & Friday, "off" Saturday & Sunday, on Monday & Tuesday and I'M DONE!

Then, as my sweet hubby said "we can go back to normal life"...haha, he's sick of me saying "I cant eat that, __ more days!"

Granny (and a bit of my Grace Story)

2009-06-10T16:30:00.015-04:00

Today was my great-grandmother's 87th birthday. Granny. That's what I call her.

You might be thinking "I never met my great grandmother"...well, I was raised by my great grandmother! The picture here was probably taken soon after my younger sister and I came to live with her. We were 3 and 2 at the time, she was about 62. She thought she was taking us in for a few weeks, but those weeks turned into until we graduated high school!

Back up a bit and I'll explain.

My mom & dad were very young when they had all of us (myself, my older sister and my younger sister). They were both heavily addicted to drugs as well and therefore were unable to care for us. My older sister, Sarah, was raised by Nanny (our grandmother, mom's mom) and Kadie (younger sis) and I were sent to live with Granny (Papa was alive for a few years too, but he was 12 years older than Granny, and died when he was 81).

So Kadie & I lived with Granny, her daughter (Karen) and Karen's son (Jamey) in Ft. Myers, FL. Granny gave up a lot to raise us. When she "took us in" she had already raised 4 children, had been helping to raise 2 of her many grandchildren, and now she had the responsibility (as a widow) to care for two young girls.

She had to sacrifice. She had to give up any dream of "retirement" she may have had. And she did.

I will be honest, lots of stuff happened over my 14 years in Granny's house that was not good (too much to write)...but I know that God used her to provide a safer home for me when I needed it most, and it was through my experiences in that home that brought me to recognize my deep need and desire for Him to complete me. Because of the "bad things" that I experienced, I matured quickly and became a strong, independent woman who sought to "keep out of trouble"--not wanting to repeat my parents' mistakes, and desperately seeking Granny's approval.

I came to know Christ as Savior as a result of my story. At the age of 12 I professed my need for Him, but it wasn't until I came to college at FGCU that I was introduced (through the starting of Summit Church) to the lifestyle of pursuing intimacy with God daily. Since then I've been able to look back at all my experiences and see God's hand all along. It was His plan for my Mom & Dad to go astray. It doesn't make sense, but He planned it. Then, He provided a place for me with Granny. When that went bad, He allowed me to find peace and comfort through other important relationships I had at the time. Then, He strategically kept me in SWFL at FGCU. I became part of Summit and learned what being a Christian really meant.

Today I have a great relationship with my Mom, Melissa. She has been clean for atleast 9 years (maybe longer, not sure) and I love her very much. I'm so proud of her for being able to overcome her past, and look to the future. I've not ever met my Dad...I do think one day I will...

I found out recently that I have another sister (she has a different Dad). Her name is Anna and I've met her once. She's a lot like my Mom and younger sister, so that's fun! (see her below!)

Anyway... I'm so grateful that Granny sacrificed and took us in. I know it was God's plan. I'm so grateful for how He's worked all of this together for His good! He is good!

I look forward to how He uses my story throughout the rest of my life as I seek to give Him all the glory!

((see me and my other 2 sisters below!))

Progress Report 3

2009-06-08T11:12:00.004-04:00

I'm currently on Day 15 of Making The Cut...the first week I lost 3.6 lbs so I had BIG EXPECTATIONS for my "weigh-in" today...but, alas, only lost 0.2 lbs!!

Hmm...

My sweet hubby said as I got off the scale and professed the "results" of another hard week's work

"yeah babe, I don't think it's working"

...to which I replied:

"very encouraging, babe, not exactly what I needed to hear".

But, we both laughed and agreed that I am seeing a difference, so it's worth it! Glad to be "half way done!" I'm seriously craving MOES!

Little Livia Longshore ^

2009-06-04T19:49:00.005-04:00

How sweet is the new little baby Livia Longshore?? She was born Monday to Jared & Heather Longshore. He's our Worship Pastor, and Heather is one of our worship vocalists too. They're a great couple and God has obviously blessed them with this precious girl! Love you Longshores!

Summer TV

2009-06-04T14:53:00.005-04:00

Are you watching So You Think You Can Dance?? It's definitely one of the best TV shows of the summer, and what about Wipe Out?! Bachellorette?

Catch 'em ALL!

SYTYCD

WIPEOUT

They've added some AWESOME new booby traps, its hilarious!!

And as far as Bachelorette, my top picks are: Ed, Jake & Kiptyn! (get rid of Wes, David & Juan already!)

What are your votes?

(confessions of a TVaholic!)

So long Jim- you will be missed!

2009-06-02T14:37:00.010-04:00

Today we had a celebratory going away lunch for Jim Hines, who was our Executive Pastor and worked here at Summit for 2 1/2 years. He is one of my favorite people too!

As a parting gift, we filmed our own 20-minute episode of "The Office-Summit Church" reenacting some of the best moments at our office. It was HILARIOUS! I think he enjoyed it as much as we all did, making fun of each other and re-living the best times!

He has been such a joy to have at the office, everyone loves him and will miss him! Here are some pics of the party!

see the cake- it has a picture of "the office" staff!

Paul and I have become very close to the Hines family, so we needed to snap one of our own...

Progress Report 2

2009-06-01T17:44:00.002-04:00

One week on "Making the Cut" I've lost 3.6 pounds! I'd say it's working! I am currently on Day 8, so I'm excited what 22 more days will produce (reduce?)...

Here's a cool site I'm using to track my food to make sure I'm getting the right amount of protein, carbs and fat- check it out! www.dailyburn.com

Obedience is better than Sacrifice (more from 1 Samuel)

2009-05-30T21:09:00.003-04:00

I mentioned in an earlier post that my so-fab small group is trekking through the Old Testament. This Wednesday I will be sharing a brief overview of the happenings in 1 Samuel. I'm only on Chapter 2o, but I must share what God says in 1 Samuel 15:22-23

²²Samuel said,
"Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
As in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.
²³"For rebellion is as the sin of divination,
And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry
Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,
He has also rejected you from being king."

I feel like this is a recurring theme in my time in the Word. God must constantly remind me that I glorify Him most, and demonstrate my love for Him in my instant, complete obedience. There is no substitute.

In the story above, Saul had just been commanded to completely annihilate the Amalekites, leaving no one and nothing behind. Instead, Saul captured the king and kept some of the sheep and other animals to "sacrifice to God". He was guilty of partial obedience.

That doesn't cut it. What God commands, we must do. What He forbids, we must flee from.

This is how I want to live my life. Instantly completely obeying my King every time. What a life challenge!

Alex's Birthday!

2009-05-29T16:09:00.003-04:00

I just received an email from Doug Ballinger, the Co-Founder of Help the Least of These, the non-profit that started the John E. Halgrim Orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya. I went last November with a team to help open it and I fell in love with a little boy there, Alex Musyoka (who we now sponser!). {read the news-press coverage here} .

His last name literally means "replacement" because his older brother had died, so when he was born, his mom named him "replacement". She died a few months before I met Alex. He and I bonded so much in our time together, I miss him terribly!

Any way, back to the email I got from Doug:

"While over there this last time, we let the kids draw their birthday date out of a hat so that they could feel important on their birthday. Alex's drawn birth date is June 25th, so he will be recognized as being very special that day. FYI, Love you!"

Want to know the cool part of that? That's our wedding anniversary! It sounds cheesy, but I think God allowed that, as another bond we can share! Can't wait to see him, hopefully in late October this year!